American Go E-Journal » Why We Play

Melissa Cao 4DAge: 13Lives in: New JerseyHome Club: Feng Yun Go SchoolYears playing go: 4Favorite thing about go: “I like how sometimes when you fight you get the outside, you get a wall and you’re able to use that wall to make territory and use that for other battles during the game.” Melissa said she’s mostly been playing that way this tournament, and that’s her typical style. “I usually like go because it helps my concentration too. Before I wouldn’t concentrate as much but after I’ve been playing go I would concentrate more.”

Edward Gillis 2DAge: 58Lives in: Boston, MAYears playing go: 44Favorite thing about go: “The rules are simple, but the strategy is complex. The margin between winning and losing is narrow so it makes it a good game from the point of view of developing strategies.” Edward used to play chess, but transitioned to go at a young age. “I like go better than chess because it seems more universal. It’s simple rules, you can cultivate a sense of attack and defense or who has the ability to force his opponent (sente). I only heard about go much later than chess. I was making a go board for myself in high school shop class. It turns out my [math] teacher was a go player, so I advanced rapidly. That got me a good start, so I was lucky.”

– report/photos by Samantha Fede, E-Journal special correspondent, reporting from the 2016 U.S. Go Congress

Aniket Schneider 1DAge: 31Lives in: Boston, MAHome Club: Massachusetts Go AssociationYears playing go: 14Favorite thing about go: “Exploring the space of probabilities after the fact… We moved through this landscape of possibilities and just seeing where else we could have gone in the game. In many ways I play games of go so that I have something to analyze later, not analyze so I can play more games. It’s also why I enjoy go problems so much.”

Anna WegielAge: 25Lives in: Warsaw, PolandYears playing go: 1Favorite thing about go: “I like the elegance of it and I like the satisfaction that comes with it. And I like that you’re really learning a lot very quickly. Mostly I play with my friends, so it’s not really a learning thing, it’s just for fun. I feel I’m starting to be interested in it during this tournament. After three games that I’ve already had at this tournament I feel I know a lot more about this game.”

– report/photos by Samantha Fede, E-Journal special correspondent, reporting from the 2016 U.S. Go Congress

Nqua Xiong 1kAge: 28Lives in: Minneapolis, MinnesotaHome Club: Twin Cities Go ClubYears playing go: 9Favorite thing about go: “The adrenaline rush. It’s the whole game… being able to see all the different fighting variations that come out from different people.”

Alister Hake 12kAge: 29Lives in: Sedona, AZ, originally from Liverpool, EnglandHome Club: Started a local one with friends, and the ASU Go ClubYears playing go: 3Favorite thing about go: “The subtlety to the way it moves.. it’s an amorphous game. It’s just the way it shifts. Things that are all dead come back to life, things that were alive die. That interchange, the way it just spins with the moves. It’s mind-boggling and at the same time enigmatic and intriguing and that’s the best bit about it. Especially when you watch pro games, like Andy [Liu 1P] and Myungwan [Kim 9P], you see the depth of thought and visual imagination and how powerful that is. That level of skill is just mind blowing.” It’s not just about the game for Alister. “It’s really friendly, everyone’s welcome. Everyone can just play and have a good time. It’s an overwhelming characteristic of the US Go Congress.”

– report/photos by Samantha Fede, E-Journal special correspondent, reporting from the 2016 U.S. Go Congress

Alexandra Patz 13kAge: 43Lives in: New York, NY, originally from South AfricaYears playing go: 5 years, but learned almost 20 years ago and took a breakFavorite thing about go: Alexandra likes how stimulating go is for the brain. “Very engaging,” she explained. When asked if she plays other brain games, she says, “It’s really just go, I tried chess as I child, I never really liked it, I never learned bridge. I lived in Japan for a year, so I became interested in Japanese culture. And when I moved back to South Africa, I joined a go club there.” She’s also fascinated by AlphaGo, and the deep learning involved. “[Go] is an amazing community, too,” she adds, “Clever people.”

Lee Schumacher 1DYears playing go: Since the age of 13Lives in: CaliforniaFavorite thing about go: “The focus, the immersion.”

– report/photos by Samantha Fede, E-Journal special correspondent, reporting from the 2016 U.S. Go Congress

Life is unpredictable: could be great, could go south. Playing go for nearly three decades has taught me strategies that have benefited me tremendously in my current career in financial planning. Reading out the variations helps me understand which is a manageable trade and which is an unfavorable battle. It’s also important to keep a couple byo-yomi periods for the uncertainties at the end. That said, it’s still impossible to predict a go game or life, but we can always plan to avoid the unnecessary pains, taking only the calculable risks.

Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

“Before I started playing go, I was constantly bullied and abused. Once I discovered Hikaru No Go, I have not looked back. Since I started playing go my life has changed. I play not only to better myself as a human being but to communicate with others who do not speak my language. It is because of go I now have friends from all over the world: China, Japan, Korea and Mexico, just to name a few. I play go because it saved my life. I play go because it lets me be me.”

Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

“I love to travel. In the past, I always sought out swing dancing events as I traveled. Now, I often search for local go clubs or tournaments. Thanks to go, I’ve made friends all over the world. I’ve trained in the mountains of Costa Rica, played in the back alleys of Korea, competed in China and Ecuador, and hitch-hiked and cycled from New York to California visiting every club along the way. My opponent and I may not always speak the same language, but when I sit down across a board from them our hands begin to talk. Through grunts, sighs, and bursts of laughter we engage in a deep and meaningful conversation and by the end, I’ve made a new friend.”

Why do you play? Tell us in 100 words or less your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go, where you live and your home go club, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!

“Go is possibly one of the last things in this world that involves long-form communication. In a society of five-second videos and messages, go is one of the few opportunities you have to sit down with someone and do something for at least 30 minutes. That chance to interact, to discuss, and to mutually change one another, is what I like most about go.” photo by Phil Straus

First in a series; if you’d like to participate, tell us your favorite thing about the game of go, include your name, age, how long you’ve played go and where you live, and email to journal@usgo.org. Be sure to include a current photo!